FedEx Home Delivery Expands to 90 Percent of the U.S.

FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., said yesterday that it has opened 31 additional FedEx Home Delivery terminals nationwide, expanding the service's reach to 90 percent of the U.S. population.

The number of shippers using FedEx Home Delivery has doubled to more than 16,000 in the past six months, according to FedEx.

Started in March 2000, FedEx Home Delivery is a ground service dedicated to residential delivery and the first to offer a money-back guarantee. The service also offers standard evening and Saturday delivery, and premium options such as day-specific and guaranteed appointment.

In June 2000, FedEx Ground announced an accelerated expansion plan to achieve full U.S. coverage by September 2002. This marks the third expansion in the past year for the service. FedEx Ground will co-locate 29 of the new terminals with existing FedEx Ground facilities to optimize its network.

After this latest expansion, FedEx Ground will have a network of 584 distribution hubs and local pickup-and-delivery terminals throughout the United States and Canada.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Shelburne, VT, which generates about 30 percent of its annual revenues from Valentine's Day gift givers, said it plans to use FedEx Home Delivery for advance orders and FedEx Express for last-minute gift shoppers who require overnight delivery during the Valentine's Day holiday.

FedEx said that its home delivery service has been a significant contributor to FedEx Ground's double-digit package volume growth. For the most recent quarter ending Nov. 30, FedEx Ground reported an 11 percent year-over-year increase in average daily packages. FedEx Home Delivery contributed half of that growth.